Hi Jim,

Its not a bad idea, though I grit my teeth a bit about the arts and culture sector being more socially active, many museums have been for years!

Also the arts and heritage sector are always being asked by the health and social services sectors to provide fundraising material, art , music etc. for their organizations (most of which are better paid and significantly better financed than our sectors). My guess is that more money is spent by government in one day on health and social services than on museums in a whole year.

So say yes, but remind the minister what museums have done and the relative resources that the heritage sector receives in comparison.

Cheers

Lee Boyko

From: broadcast-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca [mailto:broadcast-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca] On Behalf Of Jim Harding
Sent: September 6, 2006 2:24 PM
To: broadcast@museumsassn.bc.ca
Subject: [BCMA MBEN] New Minister's Recognition Initiative

Dear Members;

Greetings from BCMA!. This is our first "members only" message on the "Member Broadcast Email Network (MBEN)".

Please pardon the detail, but this is a major Ministry initiative.

re: New Minister's Big Brothers, Big Sisters Recognition Initiative

Backgrounder:

After re-confirming the Ministry's participation in Conference 2006 immediately upon the cabinet change announcement on August 15, the new Minister Stan Hagen's office contacted the BCMA about partnering in a Minister's initiative to publicly and provincially recognize Big Brothers, Big Sisters Volunteers during the organization's National Mentoring Month, this September.

Minister Hagen has communicated to BCMA that he would like to see "the arts and culture sector more socially active" in BC's communities "and recognized as social and educational centres" as he assumes his new portfolio.

Significance:

It is a bit like throwing down the gauntlet to BC's museums and art galleries to step-up and play ball with the Ministry--also at a time when BCMA is the lead heritage organization working with the Ministry's own Tourism BC on a new marketing strategy initiative for BC's heritage sector (for 2008); and continuing heritage strategy work with the Ministry's BC Heritage Branch--which is being re-built, as noted by the recent re-opening of the Lower Mainland branch office, and staff postings over the summer (more to come).

But BCMA believes the Minister's references to these forms of relevance to our communities is in keeping with recent keynote addresses and session content at our last few Conferences; certainly in content discussions at the Program Committee level; also in our advocacy work in meetings with the Ministry and peer cultural heritage organizations; as part of the key messages contained in a new national museums policy; and in the growing creative communities movement, etc.

BCMA also sees participation now as a measure to helping our current and future advocacy work--in an active partnership with the Ministry--to proceed effectively, also in ways we do not even know about yet, (ie. BC2008 initiatives still-to-be-defined).

We believe that to not support or participate in this initiative would have the reverse effect.

The Recognition Plan & Formal Announcement:

The Minister has requested of BCMA that member museums and art galleries offer free admission to member card-carrying Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS) mentors and their "littles" ("mentees"), over the balance of September 2006, (to be officially announced by the Minister at the Royal BC Museum on September 13, 2006--Watch BCMA-L for announcements and updates).

So, effectively, over the last two weeks of September.

There are 20 BBBS agencies in BC (See attached directory). There are an estimated 3,000 children partnered with 3,000 mentors spread over the province between these 20 BBBS agencies.

Not all BCMA member museums or art galleries will be involved. There is also doubt within the Ministry and BBBS themselves about the degree of uptake by the volunteer mentors and their boys or girls, (they are paired, 1-to-1).

How it Would Work:

Like our own BCMA GO Card Program, mentors and mentees would simply show their BBBS membership card at your Admissions desk or box office.

Most institutions have admission (rubber) stamps that could be used to stamp their BBBS membership card at time of admission. At that time, they could be informed this is "their (one-time) free admission" at your institution, if necessary.

For reference, we have posted a list of current BCMA member museums and art galleries on the BCMA website's "Membership" homepage at:

http://www.museumsassn.bc.ca/Content/Membership/Overview.asp

If your museum or art gallery is not listed (alphabetically, by regions), please contact Shelley Gauthier, Member Services Coordinator, directly at: (250) 356-5700.

Considerations:

We DO understand any consternation about lost gate revenue. However those with food services and/or gift shops may benefit, revenue-wise, in these other ways. The degree of uptake remains unknown as well.

However, this is clearly a goodwill initiative and an opportunity for museums and art galleries to publicly demonstrate and promote their social invlovement, youth engagement, community spirit, etc, through their local media (after the Minister's September 13th announcement, please!!!), as originally intended by the new Minister.

In terms of being precedent-setting, this is a special initiative in partnership with the new Minister and the BCMA.

However, you may want to consider this initiative as a sample of the types of promotion that could be developed with other organizations in your community as part of your audience development strategy in the future.

What's Next?

Each BBBS agency in BC has a different membership card design. From the Victoria agency, BCMA has secured a colour jpeg version of their membership card that can be emailed and has been supplied to the RBCM already.

We are currently securing similar sample membership cards from the other BC agencies.

IF your museum or art gallery would like to receive a sample BBBS membership card jpeg for your Admissions Desk or box office staff:

- Please review the attached Directory listing of BC agencies for the one (or more) nearest your institution;

- Email your jpeg request(s) to: Members@museumsassn.bc.ca

(You may request jpegs of all agencies that may apply);

- jpegs will be emailed to you for print-out, as soon as received from BBBS agency offices (by September 13, hopefully);

- Local BBBS agencies may also deliver a sample membership card to your institution, if they cannot produce a sample in a jpeg format to email.

On behalf of our membership, BCMA has not guaranteed 100% participation by member museums and art galleries to the Ministry, although it is possible all institutions may be approached by a BBBS member. However we are requesting that your institution participate in this provice-wide advocacy initiative, with a nominal workload and potentially with significance to developing greater support from our Ministry in the (near) future.

I ask that each member museum and art gallery please acknowledge this "members only" email to: Members@museumsassn.bc.ca

with your request for a sample BBBS membership card(s) (jpegs).

On behalf of Council, thank you for reviewing this Ministry initiative, and trust you will find this a worthy of your institution's participation.

We look forward to hearing from you!

--Jim

_______________________________

Jim Harding, ED

BC Museums Association

(250) 356-5694

UBC Museum of Anthropology 6393 NW Marine Dr., Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z2, Fax:=20 604-822-2974